Hyperion Unveils ‘Kernl’ Web Publishing Initiative

Hyperion is taking a stab at online publishing with the launch of Kernl, an “e-imprint” it will use to quickly release combinations of text and video.

Hyperion

Kernl’s video tab

Kernl looks like a Web video player, with standard viewing and sharing options, but also includes tabs with related text and links. It debuts Tuesday on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” which, like Hyperion, is owned by Walt Disney, with a segment on job-hunting. A more detailed article and links to sample resumes and other resources will be posted on the show’s Web site. It is the first in a 10-part Kernl series that will air weekly and reside on a section of ABCnews.com.

Ellen Archer, president and publisher of Hyperion, said the initiative is a way for the book publisher to take advantage of the Web’s immediacy. “With the evolving world of publishing, I think one of the things we can address so beautifully on the Internet is news that you need to know now. Print books just can’t get onto the shelves fast enough,” she said.

Kernl’s tabs for articles and links

By the end of June, when the Job Kernl concludes, she said the company will have gotten enough feedback to decide other categories in which they’ll use the format. News will be one of them, particularly when previously unknown people or topics hit headlines.

“I would’ve loved to have had a Kernl out about Sarah Palin” last summer, Ms. Archer said, after the Alaska governor was named as the Republican vice-presidential nominee. “I think about the swine flu outbreak — that could’ve been a great Kernl.”

Kernl will also serve as an “incubator,” she said, helping Hyperion gauge the interest in a topic before committing to a full-length digital or print book. The first versions will be free, though the publisher is considering an app for Apple’s iPhone, in which Kernls could be sold for $1.99. It will also weigh opportunities for sponsorships and custom-publishing projects for other brands and companies.

One place you won’t see the Kernl is on Amazon’s Kindle e-book reader, since it doesn’t display video. “Hopefully that will happen, but at this moment, unfortunately, the Kernl won’t work on the Kindle,” said Ms. Archer.

In addition to the job series, Hyperion expects to release about half a dozen Kernls in the coming year.